Nepeta iraqo-iranica Haloob, Bordbar & Qader, 2022

Bordbar, Firouzeh, Haloob, Ali, Qader, Karzan Omar & Mirtadzadini, Mansour, 2022, Nepeta iraqo-iranica (Lamiaceae), a new species from the border of Iraq and Iran, Phytotaxa 550 (2), pp. 195-200 : 196-198

Nepeta iraqo-iranica Haloob, Bordbar & Qader , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-2 )

Diagnosis:— Differs from N. wettsteinii , N. kurdica , N. humilis and N. petraea in form of verticillasters (congested into terminal elongated spike); shape of bract (broad lanceolate); length of bract (11‒13 mm); length of corolla (13‒14 mm); wide of the middle lobe of the lower lip of corolla (4‒5 mm).

Type:— IRAQ. NE, 38 km from NE Sulaimaniya, N Basneh village, near Rushikani, Shahrbazhar (Chuwarta), 35°54’22.86”N, 45°35’04.26”E, 1575 m, 24. V.2021, Omar 60380 (holotype BAG!, isotype BAG!)

Specimen examined:— IRAN. W, Kurdistan, NW of Bâne, near Bolhasan , 35°59’42.0”N, 45°36’00.9”E, 1516 m, 29. V .2019, Mirtadzadini et al. 3842 ( MIR!) . IRAQ. NE, 38 km from NE Sulaimaniya, N Basneh village, near Rushikani, Shahrbazhar ( Chuwarta ), 35°53’49.47”N, 45°34’07.66”E, 1790 m, 27. VI .2019, Haloob, Ikhlas, Hamahkan & Omar 60236 ( BAG!) .

Description:—Annual. Stem erect, 30‒60 cm long, simple or branched from lower half, with dense puberulentcrispateand sparsely glandular papillose hairs. Leaves bright green, covered with dense pubescent or ± villose and sparsely glandular papillose hairs, more dense in lower face, lower leaves petiolate, petiole 10‒35 mm long, blade broad triangular-ovate, 25‒35 × 20‒30 mm, margin crenate, at base cordate-subcordate, apex rounded, sometimes mucrunulate, middle leaves petiole 5‒10 mm long, blade ovate, 11‒18 × 8‒15 mm, margin crenate-dentate, at base subcordate-subtruncate, apex obtuse, upper leaves sessile, lanceolate, 10‒15 × 3‒8 mm, at base cuneate, apex apiculatemucronate. Verticillasters congested into terminal elongated spike, 30‒60 mm long, 10‒15 mm wide, flowers many, pedicel 1‒2 mm long. Bracts sessile, broad lanceolate, 11‒13 × 2‒4 mm, green, purplish in the upper half, apex rostrate, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with villose-crispate and sparsely glandular papillose hairs. Calyx straight, tubular, oblique at throat, 8‒9 mm long, tube 5‒6 mm long, green, glabrous inside, covered with villose-crispate and sparsely glandular papillose hairs outside, upper teeth lanceolate, 2.0‒ 2.5 mm, lower teeth narrowly lanceolate 2.5‒3.0 mm, teeth purple, margin ciliated. Corolla lavender, 13‒14 mm long, exserted from the calyx, tube 7‒9 mm, upper lip 2 × 2 mm, lateral lobes of lower lip 1 mm, middle lobe 4‒5 mm, margin crenate, corolla villose outside, glabrous inside, internally with a dense tuft of short hairs at throat, upper lip covered with white pilose hairsinside. Stamens 4, posterior pair longer than anterior, filaments glabrous, free part 3.0‒ 3.5 mm, anthers dark lilac, glabrous. Style shortly 2-branched, branches unequal. Nutlets brown, ca. 1.7 × 0.8 mm, oblong; areole lobes oblique, areole 0.3‒0.4 mm, surface glabrous.

Etymology:—The epithet of the new species refers to its common locality in Iran and Iraq.

Phenology:—Flowering from mid-May to mid-June and fruiting June-July.

Habitat, distribution, and conservation status:—The new species occurs on colluvial soils of hillslopes ( Fig. 2 ). This species is currently known from two locations 10 km apart, one in Iran and the second in Iraq, near the border of two countries in Kurdistan region ( Fig. 3 ). Further field observations are necessary, but at present by the extent of occurrence (EOO) of about 6.28 km 2 and the area of occupancy (AOO) of 3.8 km 2, this species is categorized as “Critically Endangered” (CR) ( IUCN, 2012).

Taxonomic notes:—The new species is similar to N. wettsteinii distributed in Gilan and Azerbaijan Province of Iran, and N.kurdica from Kurdistan region of Iran and Iraq, in Group IV ( Jamzad 2012), in morphological characteristics such as stem indumentum, length of corolla, lower lip margin of corolla, and in the length of calyx exclusively similar to N. wettsteinii (The length of calyx according to Jamzad (2012)). But they differ mainly in plant height, size of lower leaf blade, inflorescence shape, length of bract, upper teeth shape of calyx, indumentum of bract and calyx ( Table 1 ). In the new species the inflorescence is compressed and the calyces are not visible. The bracts and their indumentum cover the calyces. While in N. kurdica and N. wettsteinii , the calyces are visible in the inflorescence and can be counted. It should be mentioned that N. kurdica and N. wettsteinii were considered as synonymous by Rechinger (1982). Nepeta iraqo-iranica was also compared morphologically to N.humilis and N.petraea , the two other sympatric annual species, Group IV, from west of Iran and north-east of Iraq. The new species can be readily distinguished from them by the difference in shape of lower leaf blade, inflorescence shape, shape and length of bract, length of calyx and corolla ( Table 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotype specimen of Nepeta iraqo-iranica.

FIGURE 2. Nepeta iraqo-iranica sp. nov. A) habitat of plants in Iran, B) habit, C) basal leaves, D) inflorescence, E) close-up of inflorescence in flowering time, F) close-up of inflorescence in fruiting time, G) close-up of corolla, H) nutlets, adaxial (left) and abaxial surface (right). Photographs:A and E, M. Mirtadzadini; B, C, D, F, G and H, K.O.Qader. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Geographical distribution of Nepeta iraqo-iranica sp. nov. A close-up of the border of Iran and Iraq in the corner. The red circle indicated the locations of N. iraqo-iranica.